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Peju Ugboma: What Happened on Day 1 of FCCPC’s Hearing
A panel of public enquiry set up by the Federal Competition and Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate the death of Peju Ugboma, a Lagos-based chef who died after a surgery at Premier Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos, sat for the first time on Tuesday.
The hearing, which started around 10am, had in attendance Moyosore Onigbanjo, the Lagos State Attorney General; Babatunde Irukere, CEO of FCCPC and chairman of the panel; and Ijoma Ugboma, the deceased’s husband, among others.

PEJU’S HUSBAND’S TESTIMONY
Witnesses from Premier Hospital, however, refused to show up. Their absence became known when Osinowo Omololu, a medical doctor in the hospital, was called upon and the hospital’s counsel said he was out of the country.
Earlier, Ijoma, the deceased’s husband, had blamed her death partly on the lack of adequate care by doctors in the aftermath of the surgery. According to him, the gynecologist who carried out the surgery became unavailable shortly after he left the theatre.
“I saw him before the surgery, or around the time of the surgery. And the next time I saw him was when he signed ‘outstanding’ over her medical certificate of death,” he said.
Ijoma added that he was not informed that the surgery could have serious side effects.
“I wasn’t told any such thing,” he said. “If we had been told prior to surgery that there was the possibility of a kidney failure, we would have opted out.
“The fibroid for her was not a life and death matter. If she hadn’t’ done a surgery, she wouldn’t have died today or…’’
Peju died of internal bleeding on April 25. She had been admitted into the hospital on Thursday, April 22, in preparation for a fibroid surgery billed to take place the following morning.
After the surgery, she had complained of abdominal pain and despite hints from a UK-based gynecologist that she might be bleeding internally, doctors at Premier Hospital reportedly refused to take any actions to that effect and did little as her condition deteriorated.
ONE MILLION NAIRA DEMAND AT THE POINT OF DEATH
Peju’s husband had deposited over a million naira to Premier before the surgery, but another N1m was demanded when the deceased was in a very critical condition.
“I made a further payment to Premier on the Saturday before she was moved to the ICU. I found that a bit insensitive because I had just made a payment a day before and for the fact that she was in their care already,” Ijoma told the panel.
“The ICU wasn’t part of the plan and my thought process was if I didn’t have the money to pay, would they have just left her where she was or would they not have treated her and we would talk about money later?”
A key Premier Hospital witness was said to have resigned, and was represented by another worker who couldn’t give answers to many of the questions asked.
Irukera expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of Premier Hospital’s witnesses without adequate notification, despite all efforts by the FCCPC to ensure there was no communication deficit.
He stated that although the hospital received a notice on the hearing as early as June 7, the commission did not receive any information on Osinowo’s availability until at exactly 6:44pm on Saturday, June 12.
“The record also shows that on that same Saturday, the commission, which is a government entity, by the way, responded, asking for information to clarify his travel itinerary,” Irukera said.
“Then we didn’t receive a response, and then yesterday, a public holiday, at 7am again, the commission sent a reminder both to Dr. Osinowo and all the relevant parties. Apparently, both the commission’s responses on Saturday and Monday 14, have received no response.”
The counsel to Premier, however, said the hospital wrote the commission to ask if Osinowo could testify virtually, and that she wasn’t aware of a response to that effect. She further stated that the hospital did not receive a request for Osinowo’s travel itinerary.
The counsel also revealed that some of the invited witnesses from Premier were initially present at the sitting, but left after the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) informed them they would lose their licences if they stayed.
PREMIER OUT, EVERCARE IN
Despite the said caution from MDCN and NMA, two doctors of Evercare Hospital where Peju spent her last hour showed up at the hearing.
Shortly before Peju’s death, Premier had decided to move her to another hospital where she could have a CT scan and dialysis. While in Evercare Hospital, it was detected at some point that she no longer had a pulse. The hospital commenced an emergency CPR, which eventually failed, and she was pronounced dead at about 2pm.
WHY IS PREMIER CLINGING ON TO PEJU’S MEDICAL RECORD
Following Peju’s death, Evercare returned part of the money deposited for her treatment. However, Premier neither returned a dime nor honoured a request for the deceased’s medical record.
“We specifically unambiguously requested for a full medical record, the same way we did for other hospitals where she had been in the last 12 years. And everybody else has released them to us, except Premier,” Ijoma had said.
“And I will state it again that even the case summary that was sent to us was neither signed nor has anybody’s name at the end of it, or date on it.”
The chairman of the panel, however, said it was inappropriate to hear Evecare’s testimony before Premier’s. Thus, he adjourned the sitting.
Foundation For Investigative Journalism
News
MC Oluomo Retakes NURTW Secretariat In Abuja Following Clashes
Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has regained control of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) national secretariat in Abuja.
This follows a highly volatile 24-hour period marked by a leadership struggle between MC Oluomo and a rival faction led by Tajudeen Baruwa.
MC Oluomo returned to the secretariat to inspect damaged property following the takeover, according to a video shared by TVC on X.
The development followed an earlier move on Monday by a faction led by Tajudeen Baruwa, which occupied the secretariat, claiming that court rulings supported its action.
Baruwa, who addressed journalists after the occupation, maintained that his faction acted within the law and in line with court decisions.
“Their body language has not been encouraging despite repeated assurance that we are not going back to foment any trouble, as we are a law-abiding union whose only mission is to get back what belongs to us,” he said.
“But today, as you can see, we are taking over in a peaceful manner, and it is not a forceful takeover but just carrying out the court’s orders,” he added.
He said the police had been formally notified and provided with copies of the judgments but alleged that the response was not encouraging.
“Again, please be aware that our coming here after two years is to occupy our office, having obtained judgments at both the lower court and the Appeal Court, but they refused to obey court orders after waiting for about two years. We decided to resume at the office today without causing any violence, and here we are,” he said.
Baruwa also alleged that one of his members was attacked during the process.
“Although the other faction attacked one of our members, who is now in the hospital, the situation is under control. We are still open to reconciliation as we are a lawful organisation and not a troublemaker. No one is above the law,” Baruwa stated.
Reacting on Monday via his Instagram page, MC Oluomo described the development as a “forceful takeover” and insisted that legal proceedings were still ongoing.
He said he was not a defendant in the judgment cited by Baruwa and disclosed that the ruling had been appealed, with a stay of execution already secured.
“The National President wishes to inform members of the union and the general public that he was not a defendant in the purported judgment.
“The judgment has been appealed, and a stay of execution has been duly entered. He has not engaged with Mr Baruwa or any individual, aware that cases are pending in court.
“The situation is under the control of security agencies. Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya remains the National President of NURTW,” the statement read.
Akinsanya urged union members to remain calm and law-abiding as the leadership dispute continues.
Tribune Online reports that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command on Monday arrested Baruwa and six others following the incident.
News
Biola Bayo Deletes Baba Ijesha Interview From All Platforms After Nigerians React
Nollywood actress and podcaster Biola Bayo (Abiola Adebayo) has deleted her controversial interview with convicted actor Baba Ijesha from her Instagram and YouTube channels following intense public backlash.
The decision to take down the content came after Nigerians criticized the platforming of a convicted child molester, accusing Bayo of helping him downplay his crimes and “reopen wounds” for the victim.
In the now-deleted interview, Baba Ijesha addressed the story behind the se,xual assault that led to his conviction.
He insisted that he is neither a rap!st nor a pedophile, maintaining his innocence despite the controversy surrounding the case and serving a JAIL TERM.
During the conversation, the actor also expressed disappointment towards Damilola Adekoya, also known as Comedian Princess, accusing her of betraying those close to her.
He further spoke about Iyabo Ojo, stating that he felt hurt by her reaction to the situation.
The interview quickly sparked outrage online, with many criticizing both the actor’s remarks and Biola Bayo’s decision to host the conversation.
As the backlash intensified, the actress has now removed the video from her YouTube channel and restricted access to it on her Instagram page.
News
El-Rufai Denied Immediate Release; Bail Hearing Set For March 31
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai will remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after a Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned his bail application to March 31, 2026.
El-Rufai was brought before the court on Tuesday over charges bordering on conversion of public property and money laundering.
The charges were preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He was brought to court by security operatives at about 9:00 am in a Hilux vehicle and was held in the car for about 25 minutes before being escorted into the courtroom about 10 minutes later.
Security operatives were stationed in and around the court premises ahead of the hearing.
During the court proceedings, Ukpon Akpan, counsel to el-Rufai, asked the court to grant bail to his client to allow him prepare for his defense.
The argument was rejected by the prosecution counsel who argued that the bail could interfere with the commission’s investigation.
The former governor has been in the custody of the ICPC since February 19 after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Since el-Rufai’s arrest, there have been several calls for his release or arraignment.
In ICPC custody, the former governor refused to respond to questions posed by investigators, citing his right to remain silent.
On March 5, the magistrate court extended the initial remand order for el-Rufai by another 14 days.
El-Rufai had filed a fundamental rights suit before the federal high court in Abuja over the search conducted on his residence by the ICPC and the remand order issued on February 19.
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